It's A Beautiful Day or Not

Thursday, March 14, 2013

We've all been acquainted with so-and
so, at one time or another. You recognize
them, try to sidestep them, and before you know it they pounce on you.

Someone once told me that he had actually hid in his closet, while
so-and-so banged ruthlessly on the
front door and began tapping windows, just to make sure no one was home before
he actually left!

I laughed myself silly at
his antics. When my laughter died down, I said with a straight face, “Seriously,
he can’t be that bad.”

“I’d rather hide in my closet!” he yelped.

Tears of laughter streamed down my cheeks, once again.

“No, really… he’d sit here forever and grumble about all his problems
and you wouldn't get a word in edgewise! They’re the same complaints over-and
over.”

I had to admit I feel the same way about one of my so-and so’s , though I’d bite the
bullet and answer the door, not hide in the closet! Don’t you just love those conversations that
always have a “poor- me” ring to it?

We should all mind our grumbling.

The children of Israel were one big camp of whiners. Poor Moses!
If I were him I’d have been whining about the whiners! Teach us Lord, that
casting our cares on you does not mean a free complaint department somewhere in
Heaven.

And the people complained
in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard
it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them
and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. Then the people cried out to
Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. So the name
of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned
among them. Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the
people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! ~
Numbers 11:1-4

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Ever lose yourself? I mean completely tune out what’s going on
around you? The craziness of the world just slips by, and all you want to do is
escape.

You feel as if you need to be alone, and your craving for privacy trumps
chocolate, bar none.

Living with chronic pain does that to you. My arm muscles begin to spasm
out of nowhere, and I feel as if they’re being torn from their sockets. Headaches
from neurosurgery on my neck on three separate occasions, resulted in plates
implanted, that connect my neck to my spine.

A chronic infirmity, or as the apostle Paul said, “a thorn in the flesh,”
changed me. It debilitated me, to the extent that I can say the pain feels like
a messenger of Satan to torment me, to rob me of joy.

I am so able to relate to Paul
of Tarsus. I have Paul beat in the prayer for healing department, he only asked three times—I’ve
asked a gazillion. Paul was so much wiser
than I.He heard his answer the first time.

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." ~ 2 Corinthians
12: 9

So Lord, now that I finally get it, I surrender all to you, and like Paul I can boast. My infirmities
drenched in Your grace ain’t so bad after all. ~ Blessings, Diane Velikis

Saturday, March 2, 2013

A few days ago I was parked
and waiting in my car for my daughter when I had noticed a man and woman with
two young children emerge onto the parking lot. A little boy, no more than four
years old, was screaming bloody murder, his wails grew closer during his ear
splitting tantrum.

The weather in Pa was
freezing, too cold for me to get out of my warm toasty car. Imagine my shock
when I observed the little boy nearly bare-chested. Mom had his arm in a vise
like grip while the rest of his body twisted and turned slipping off his
clothing in the process.

The father spat on several
cars in the parking lot, and the mom cursed like a sailor, above the boy’s shrieks.

I felt like Nick from the
Great Gatsby. I sat there wondering how on earth does the rough-hewn behavior
of the parents, teach the child to be anything less than crude and obnoxious.

Don’t those parents
know that it’s better to have a millstone around their neck? We all make
mistakes when raising children, but in this case I don’t know who needed the
scolding more, the parents or the child?

Even though we may never meet again, the folks who crossed my path that day, were shown to me for a reason. They obviously need serious prayer, and they have been in mine ever since. Wouldn't it be great to see that family transformed by the power of God, who's mighty to save!

Do you ever wonder who prayed for you when you thought no one was looking?

~ Ephesians 1:17-18I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom andrevelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Friday, March 1, 2013

I recently read of a dig in Peru’s main sports center which resulted
in the discovery of eight skeletons dating from at least 700 years ago and
three others twice that old. A bit ghoulish, not to mention of dismal importance
to me, though I’m sure it brought ecstatic joy to
the group of discoverers.

Sometimes
when we bring up old hurts, wounds, and disappointments, we are like archeologists
on digging expeditions. We rehash the hurt, build the walls, and distance ourselves.
Eventually we bury our miffed opinions, until the next dig.

This happens
in a lot of families, to a lot of friendships, and even in Christian circles.

What if we
were able to dig up and see the person’s heart? I mean really see… the way God sees
it. The way the archeologist found hidden treasure.

What if deep
down that person desperately lacks self-esteem, way more than you can imagine?
Shouldn’t we be more concerned with building them up, than to try and make them
feel guilty?

We need to stop taking things so personal, and
realize who the enemy of our family and friendships is. The lack of discernment
has become a pandemic.

~Ephesians
4:31-32 ESV Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ
forgave you.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Watching the
show Hoarders was blood-curdled disturbing to me. I wanted to put on my rubber
gloves, face-mask and have oodles of garbage bags at my disposal. I gaped with disgust
and tried to imagine that somewhere beneath all the filth lays hidden
potential.

What in tarnation
causes people to reach such a secret pathetic state? Its one thing to have a
chaotic mess from time to time, but it’s quite another to have settled into one.
Not just an average-run-of-the-mill mess—I’m talking biggie.

Weird psychological
conclusions baffle me. Squalor syndrome,Diogenes syndrome, Havisham syndrome,Plyushkin syndrom,and who knows what other drome.They live with tons of rubbish, and vermin!

As usual,
the Holy Spirit whispered “Imagine what sinners without Jesus looks like. Imagine the mess of man. Imagine the mess in
the world.”

We are all
sick from sin. Man can call it any other fancy names, but the truth be told we are
all hoarders of bad habits and a sinful nature, and we all need an intervention—Jesus.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Have you ever driven around not realizing that your tank was
on empty?The gas light begins to flash and
you gasp after catching it in the corner of your eye. I’ve maneuvered under that situation many
times. I was more focused on the things
that had to get done. Buying fuel stopped the clock, when I could be much more
productive—a drats moment, indeed.

A life on the go
changes drastically once you become disabled. You realize that you can’t
function like you used to. Simple tasks become burdensome, difficult, and in
some cases impossible to perform. You went from running in a marathon, to a
sprinter, to the person who holds the flag, and yells on your mark, get set,
go!

Your first lesson in bravery and
patience begins when you have to prove to the mockers (Social Security System) that
you are in fact disabled, and not a lazy con artist. Next it’s with the rest of the world, and yes,
even some members of your Christian family.

You hear the gossipy whispers.“She must have done something bad for God to
punish her like that. She’s been cursed with a disability for
a reason. I’ll pray for her.”

Then, there are the
bolder ones who will tell you to your face, ( in love of course) “You've been
cursed with disability for a reason. You should pray more, and God will fix you.
(and if he doesn't, you don't have enough faith)

Psst... great way to make
someone feel like they are doomed!

Thank God He doesn’t
make me feel that way! In fact, never in my life have I felt more radical a
need to depend on Him!

I’ve learned that a
Christian life does not guarantee absence from pain. I’ve become much more
tender-hearted towards those who are suffering. Brokenness comes in many forms,
and my sense of purpose is hidden in Him, my flesh really has little to offer.

The truest form of
disability is a lack of compassion. May my heart stay forever close to Jesus. Honestly,
a man of sorrows while on earth.

My rant is over now. Blessings~

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to
show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard
pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry
around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be
revealed in our body.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Is it just me, or is it true that the more we age, the more we realize how much simpler life was back in the old days? I’m at that crossroad, and the best part is yearning for that unpretentious life. The worst part is arriving there and downsizing.

There’s
so much stuff to do!

There
is the exhausting occupation of preparing to place my house on the market, not to
mention the dreaded challenge of decluttering.Did I forget to reference both my husband and I are facing physical challenges?

I
know this is not just one of my bright ideas, because it’s going to require a
lot of God back-up to accomplish.

The
actual fun part, (for me anyway) is being creative when sprucing up the amenities
to be showcased, but that’s just the beginning. As a Realtor I know I’ll need to cover all
bases, not just the cosmetic ones. There’s an over-flooded market of homes with
few qualified buyers.

But that’s when God shown me Isaiah 43:19 and this
time it jumped at me. “See, I am doing a new thing!Now it
springs up; do you not perceive it?I am making a way
in the wildernessand streams in the wasteland.”

Since
we cannot take anything in this world with us when we leave, it's so much more rewarding to give things away now, besides, they have a way of becoming high maintenance. It's time to put my dust rag down.

Pamela Kern helps us keep a clear perspective with a list of "Six of the Things That God Won’t Ask on That Day."

1.
God won’t ask what kind of car you drive. He’ll ask how many people you drove
that didn’t have transportation.

2.
God won’t ask the square footage of your house. He’ll ask how many you welcomed
into your home.

3.
God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet. He’ll ask how many you
helped to clothe.